Now for the Chargers, after another win was lost to costly negative plays, their chase from behind really begins.

San Diego had the Buccaneers in cuffs Sunday but lent them the key, allowing a blocked punt and interception to be returned for touchdowns in a 34-24 defeat. A midseason hole that was already dug sank deeper.

The Chargers are down to 4-5, two games back of a Broncos team that continues to roll. They'll face the division rival Sunday in Denver.

If the Bolts were to lose for what'd be the fifth time in six games, they'd trail the Broncos by essentially four games with six to play, as Denver would own the tiebreaker for winning both of the year's head-to-head matchups.

"We have to win," free safety Eric Weddle said. "This game was a big game, and we felt like we had to win this one. We know. The sincerity is there, the understanding of where we are at in the division. No one is taking any games lightly. ... We feel like we need to win them all, so that's the approach we got to take."

Yes. This game was a big one.

For most of it, the Chargers were in control.

They had three touchdown drives in the first half that each spanned 80 yards. They converted 10 of 15 third downs while holding Tampa Bay to 3-for-9. Quarterback Philip Rivers was clicking with all his weapons, completing 21 of his 25 passes for 267 yards and three scores entering the fourth quarter. The defense held running back Doug Martin to 68 yards on 19 carries after he had 251 yards on 25 the week before.

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Good football was too incomplete to be good enough.

Tampa Bay created a 2-on-1 matchup on the left side of San Diego's punt protection in the second quarter. Chargers safety Corey Lynch had a decision to make: block the inside or outside rusher.

"If I would have gone back and done it again, I would have gotten the inside guy," Lynch said. "They got us."

Linebacker Dekoda Watson made the block, running through punter Mike Scifres in the process. Hayward celebrated a 29-yard touchdown return as the athletic training staff ran onto the field to attend to Scifres' ankle injury.

He finished the game.

The Chargers didn't.

An otherwise masterful Rivers threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. The first came on third-and-4 with the Chargers in field-goal range, trailing 24-21 at the Tampa Bay 23. On the run toward the right sideline, Rivers threw it at Johnson, who returned the interception 83 yards for a touchdown.

"He was trying to get it behind the corner," coach Norv Turner said. "Eddie (Royal) was in behind him. It's a throw you can't make. Obviously, he should have thrown the ball away."

The Chargers got a field goal out of their next drive to trail 31-24.

After a dropped Vincent Jackson pass on third down, Tampa Bay punted on the ensuing possession, giving San Diego its second fourth-quarter chance to tie the game.

Undrafted rookie Michael Harris made his fifth start in nine regular-season games, filling in for Jared Gaither (groin). On first down, Buccaneers defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim beat Harris to the inside, sacking Rivers for a 10-yard loss. On second down, Rivers took a chance deep for wide receiver Danario Alexander that cornerback LeQuan Lewis intercepted at the Chargers' 45.

A Connor Barth field goal gave Tampa Bay a two-score lead and their 17th point off a Chargers giveaway on offense or special teams.

"It's hard enough to win a football game in this league," linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "But you cannot make it hard on yourself. At times, that's what we do. ...

"It's not a lack of guys coming throughout the week, day in and day out, putting in the time and the effort. It's one of the hardest working group of guys I've ever been around. We will find a way to stop hurting ourselves. In order to get ahead in this league, you have to find a way to get out of the way of your own self."